lead·er·ship pronounced: lēdərˌSHip/
noun: an individual who is intelligent, confident in their own skin, and inspires others; whether it be to motivate progress or encourage change, a leader inspires. A leader's internal motivation showers his/her followers with hope and adoration.  

I formulated this definition based on the core values I would want someone leading me to instill. The most important concept I learned from this class that helped me formulate a definition was that leadership is infinite and its definition is not absolute - meaning that the definition of leadership is constantly evolving and growing and it is adaptable toward each person and their own beliefs. What guided my definition further, was the concept that different situations can engender unexpected leaders. It may seem trivial, but we all know the situations that our leadership skills are developed for. Now for all those situations we feel inadquate, what kinds of people do we expect to lead us? For me to do this, I looked in myself to first see those characteristics I held to the highest esteem.  Then I looked outwardly, to see what characteristics I find that I aspire towards the most. The one word that continually came up in my mind was to inspire. I feel inspiration and hope go hand in hand. If you can find a way to uplift others or encourage them towards common goals, then I think you have the tools to be a successful leader. This definition accurately reflects how I hope I am perceived on my own leadership endeavors, which makes the definition much more meaningful and significant to me.